ONENESS OBJECTION # 8 – THE WATER BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST If God and Jesus are One, why do we see an apparent indication of The Trinity at the baptism of Jesus? WHY IS THIS OBJECTION RAISED? Many people believe that The Trinity can be proven simply by the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. The following passage is used to try and solidify “three persons” being present at one time: Matthew 3: 16, 17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROBELEMS WITH THIS BELIEF? 1. The main problem is trying to fit a 4th century doctrine into a 1st century event. The Doctrine of Trinity had never been taught in scripture up to this point, or after this event. Most credible, historical resources point to the Council of Nicea in AD 325 as the beginning of this doctrine as established church dogma. However, it was not officially adopted until the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381, after it was decided that the Holy Spirit was the third person. 2. All four of the Gospel writers recorded the baptism of Christ in similar fashion. It would have seemed like a good opportunity for Matthew, Mark, Luke or John to explain that God had just been presented in three persons. 3. Since when does a Spirit and a voice have to indicate two separate and distinct “persons?” The Father is not only speaking here, he is descending. Otherwise, Jesus has two Fathers. In the book of Genesis we have the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters (Gen. 1: 2) and the voice of God speaking creation into existence (Gen. 1: 3). This does not mean that two persons created the world. Doesn’t God have a voice? Isn’t God a Spirit? (John 4: 24?) Isn’t God Holy? (Lev. 20: 6) Doesn’t that make God One Holy Spirit with one voice? Which, by the way, lines up with the scriptures that clearly identify The Holy Spirit with the conception of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 1: 20; Luke 1: 35) The doctrine of three separate persons simply cannot hold up if The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus Christ. How could God the Father be the Father of a child He did not conceive? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY MEAN? Why was Jesus baptized? Some have wondered that if baptism is for the remission of sins, and Jesus was spotless, why He would even need to be baptized. The answer is found in Matt. 3: 15 - “To Fulfill All Righteousness”. Jesus, being Jewish, identified with all the laws and customs of His day. Baptism was to play an integral part in purifying from within, Salvation, and receiving The Holy Spirit of God. It was Jesus who proclaimed, “He who is believes and is baptized shall be saved…” (See mark 16: 16; Acts 2: 38; 1 Peter 3: 21). Jesus would not ask us to do anything that He wasn’t willing to do Himself: Matthew 3: 13 – 15 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Why was the purpose of the voice from Heaven and the visualization of The Spirit of God? In this particular case, the purpose is clear: It was a sign to John the Baptist. There is no indication that anyone else but John or Jesus heard the voice or saw the Spirit descending. When John says, “I knew him not”, he does not mean that he was not acquainted with Jesus, for they were cousins. He means He did not realize and was not assured until that moment that Jesus was indeed the anointed Christ, The Messiah. Jesus actually had a common name, and was in appearance as any other man. God wanted John to be assured of the One who would take away the sins of the world, and the One who would baptize people with The Holy Ghost: John 1: 26 – 34 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. The following scriptures concerning this event are absolutely in line with oneness theology… Matt. 3: 17 “…This is my beloved Son, IN WHOM I am well pleased.” This is in line with Monotheism: God was IN CHRIST. The Father was IN the Son. (2 Cor. 5: 19; John 14:10) John 1 26 “…but there standeth ONE among you…” This is also in line with Monotheism: There was only ONE standing among them. What we have present here is One body (Jesus standing in the water), One voice, and One Spirit. You cannot separate God from His voice or from His Spirit. (See Ephesians 4: 4 – 6; Malachi 2: 10) John 1: 30, 31 “…but that HE should be made MANIFEST to Israel…” This also is in line with Monotheism. The One who was before John would be made manifest, which by definition, is clear or obvious to the eye or mind. God was MANIFEST in the flesh. (1 Tim. 3: 16). CONCLUSION The water baptism of Christ is a supernatural event, and once again reminds us of the Omnipresence, Omnipotence and Omniscience of God. It is similar in nature to the Transfiguration. It occurred, not so that God could reveal a Trinity of persons within Himself, but so that John would know that this was spotless Lamb of God. If we would learn to understand God from the Old Testament belief of Monotheism (One God), it would be easier to understand how and why He manifested Himself in The New Testament, and how that One Eternal Spirit remains with the believer today. The problem comes when we try and fit God into a concept of “three persons”, and work Him into both Testaments. You will find yourself constantly having to deny Jesus the title of The Mighty God and The Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6). You will also be forced to characterize every expression, or manifestation of God as a separate “person”. This is simply not biblical. Finally, as a side note, the only audible voice that ever spoke from Heaven after Jesus ascended – was the voice of Jesus himself. He remains on high as God Almighty and our Everlasting Father. “Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus…” - Acts 9: 5. (See also Acts 10: 13 – 15) It may be time to stop kicking against the pricks. (From Withstanding The Winds -)
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:00:44 +0000